Art Nouveau Dragonfly Brooch

REF # EZN905P2D

Art Nouveau Dragonfly Brooch / Special Order

This Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch with plique à jour enamel, diamonds and tzavorites in antique style is crafted in 14k yellow gold, weighs 5.6g and measures 41mm long, 30mm wide and 5mm deep. Dragonflies, butterflies and bees mounted with diamonds and colored precious or semi-precious stones were the craze of the 1890's 'fin de siècle' brooches and offered their shapes to the fluid naturalistic designs of Art Nouveau, and their exclusive and avant-garde plique à jour technique of enameling. Dragonfly brooches owed their great popularity to Art Nouveau artisans who motivated their contemporary renowned jewelry designers such as 'Tiffany & Co.' to excel in a variety of diamond-encrusted dragonflies around the turn of the century and well into the 20th century. This alluring brooch depicts the anatomically accurate body of a dragonfly, whose wings are rendered in quintessentially Art Nouveau plique à jour enamel in an absorbing nuance of translucent amethyst color. The thorax of ..More

This Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch with plique à jour enamel, diamonds and tzavorites in antique style is crafted in 14k yellow gold, weighs 5.6g and measures 41mm long, 30mm wide and 5mm deep. Dragonflies, butterflies and bees mounted with diamonds and colored precious or semi-precious stones were the craze of the 1890's 'fin de siècle' brooches and offered their shapes to the fluid naturalistic designs of Art Nouveau, and their exclusive and avant-garde plique à jour technique of enameling. Dragonfly brooches owed their great popularity to Art Nouveau artisans who motivated their contemporary renowned jewelry designers such as 'Tiffany & Co.' to excel in a variety of diamond-encrusted dragonflies around the turn of the century and well into the 20th century. This alluring brooch depicts the anatomically accurate body of a dragonfly, whose wings are rendered in quintessentially Art Nouveau plique à jour enamel in an absorbing nuance of translucent amethyst color. The thorax of this captivating dragonfly is adorned with 0.05cts of single-cut diamonds graded 'light-brown' color and SI2 clarity, bead-set against color-contrasting black enamel background. A pair of gold beads quoted with amethyst-color enamel constitutes the eyes, while the insect's detailed body is bezel-set with 0.10cts of graduated round-faceted tzavorites graded 'apple-green' color and 'fair' clarity. The insect's antenna and the reverse of the alluring brooch are rendered in polished 14k yellow gold and a hinged pin and retractable tubular clasp secure the enticing Art Nouveau style brooch.

During the Art Nouveau era which encompassed the period 1890 to 1919, renowned enamel effects such as 'cloisonné', 'champlevé', 'plique à jour' and 'pate de verre' were both discovered and revived. This enchanting pin is a vividly colored sample of the plique à jour enameling, probably the single most important technique used by Art Nouveau designers to render their jewelry more appealing. In this technique the enamel work is translucent due to the absence of a metal backing. To achieve this, cells of enamel are surrounded by delicate wires, shaped on a thin sheet of metal. Enamel is fired into the wire cells and after being melted and cooled, the thin metal is peeled away, leaving the translucent enamel suspended in a supporting framework of cloisonné wire.

This absorbing Art Nouveau style pin is a Special Order item so please allow up to 6 weeks if it is not presently in stock. Please note that Special Order Items are non-returnable and non-refundable.